Golf club



F. MaGCALLUM July 6, 1937.

GOLF CLUB Filed July 13,' 1936 IN VENTO@ FYnnK MQQQQHW flo Patented July 6, 19537k Y UNITED STTES EBATET OFFICE Application `luly 13, 1936, Serial No. 90,286 In Great Britain March '7, 1934 Claims.

This invention relates to golf clubs of the kind having tubular metal shafts.

One of the objects of the present invention is to introduce a variable factor into the construc- 5v tion of the club so that the clubs can be manufactured to suit the physical characteristics of the individual purchaser. The introduction of a variable factor into the structure of the club enables the stiffness of the club under torsional and bending stresses to be controlled, and also enables the relation between the weights of the shaft and club head to be varied to suit individual circumstances.

A further object of the present invention is to provide an improved construction of golf club of the kind referred to, whereby the shocks Vtransmitted to the arms of the player when making a shot are reduced.

Referring to the drawing:-

Figure 1 is a sectional elevation showing one construction.

Figure 2 is a sectional plan View.

c Figure 3 is a sectional elevation of the lower .part of the club showing an alternative method of'locking the tubular shaft to the upper part of the socket.

' Figure 4 is a, section of a slight modification.

Inthe construction illustrated in Figures 1 and 2 the club head I 0 is formed in the usual way 30 with an integral socket portion II in the upper end of which is secured by a brazing or equivalent process, the lower end of the tubular shaft I4. The shaft may be either cylindrical or tapering in any known manner. i

Within the tubular shaft is mounted a torsion member l2 formed as a solid rod of a light'but resilient alloy, the lower end of the rod being screw threaded and screwed into the lower end of the socket.

When screwed into position within the socket 'the torsion member is locked by a transverse pin I3 which prevents the torsion member unscrewing or loosening in use.

A The torsion member I2 is shown of fluted section but may be of circular or any other form in section as desired or necessary.

At its upper end the shaft III is provided with a hollow plug I5 either of metal or of wood and the upper end of the torsion member I2 is shoul-A 5 5 transverse pin I8. Y Y Y The handle or grip of the club is provided on the upper end of the shaft as indicated at I9 and may be of any desired form or construction.

In the modification shown inA Figure 3 the lower end of the tubular shaft is locked in the socket Il by means of pins 2l which may be retained in position by soldering or sp'ot welding and these pins may serve to secure the shaft in the socket instead Vof or in addition to the brazing or equivalent process as described with reference to Figures l and 2.

Packing material 22 is introduced between the torsion member I2 and the shaft I4 to i-lll the space between these parts and to prevent the torsion member from contacting with the inner wall of the shaft when the shaft bends or whips when in use. I

The packing material may take the form of powdered aerated rubber, granulated cork or other suitable packing material.

Alternatively, rings of rubber or other suitable material may -be placed in the shaft at spaced intervals along the length thereof, such rings eX- tending between the torsion member andk the inner surface of the shaft to prevent contact between these parts. Y*

In the slight modification illustrated in Figure 4 is shown a torsion member I2 of tubular form but the arrangement is otherwise as described with reference to Figures land 2.

In carrying the present invention into practice, it is proposed to provide a series of standard de#- signs of vclub head, shaft and socket, Yand a series of torsion members of different weights, dimensions and stiffness. Then by selecting a suitable torsion member a club of standard design can be adapted to suit the particular requirements of the user without necessitating a special design of l club in each case.

In order that the total weight of the club may not be excessive, it is proposed to make the .torsion members of a light but resilient alloy.

The torsion member and the shaft have different natural frequencies and thus respond to different degrees to any vibration transmitted thereto and the torsion member in effect forms a vibration damper for the shaft and tends to attenuate or damp out any vibration set up in the club shaft due to the impact of the club head with a ball. Any vibration reaching the club handle produces an unpleasant andiundesirable Y effect and the vcombination of the torsion mem- .ber with the shaft alters thernatural periodicity vof the shaftjand'rendersthe latter less suscep-V tible to vibration under the torsional strains produced in the shaft in use.

By suitable selection of a torsion member with the necessary stiffness and vibration frequency a club of standard design can be adapted to the requirements and characteristics of the user.

The lower end of the torsion member is preferably fixed to the lower part of the socket portion of the club head, while the lower end of the tubular shaft is preferably fixed to the upper part of the socket of the club head, so that the torsional strains or vibration are transmitted to the torsion member before they reach the'tubular shaft due to the time lag of the Vibrations passing up the socket to the point of attachment of the shaft to the socket. rIhe torsion member thus partly relieves the shaft of the effects of certain of the strains or vibrations and in effect such torsional strains or vibrations are shared between the torsion member and the tubular shaft.

The point of attachment of the tubular shaft to the socket may be varied in order to adjust the proportion of torsional strains taken by the tubular shaft.

The introduction of suitable packing material between the tubular shaft and the torsion member maintains th-e torsion member out of Contact with the interior wall of the tubular shaft, when the club shaft whips, whereby undesirable noises are avoided and in addition this packing material has a damping effect on vibrations of the torsion member and the shaft.

In practice the construction enables the torsion and bending stresses which are applied to the shaft of the club to be distributed between the tubular shaft and the torsion member.

To control the torsion and bending strains of the club as a whole to meet varying conditions of play by obtaining a suitable co-operation be'- tween the tubular shaft and the shock absorbing member, I may vary the mechanical characteristics of the materials of the torsion member and shaft and/or the positions of anchorage between the torsion member and the socket, and between th-e torsion member and the tubular shaft.

What I claim then is:-

1. A golf club having a head, a socket on said head, a tubular metal shaft secured at one end rigidly to said socket, a grip portion at the other end of said shaft, a torsion member extending within said shaft for substantially the entire length thereof, said torsion member being of cross sectional area less than that of the interior of said shaft and being secured at its lower end in said socket and secured adjacent its upper end to said shaft and packing between the exterior of said torsion member and the interior of said shaft.

2. A golf club having a head,` a socket on said head, a tubular metal shaft secure-d at one end rigidly to said socket, a grip portion at the other end of said shaft, a plug secured in the upper end of said shaft, a torsion member extending within said shaft for substantially the entire length thereof, said torsion member being of cross sectional area less than that of the interior of said shaft and being secured at its lower end in said socket and anchored at its upper end in said plug and granulated packing between the exterior of said torsion member and the interior of said shaft.

3. A golf club having a head, a socket on said head, a tubular metal shaft secured at one end rigidly to said socket, a grip portion at the other end of sai-d shaft, a plug secured in the upper end of said shaft, said plug having a non-circular hole therethrough, a torsion member extending within said shaft for substantially the entire length thereof, said torsion member comprising a rod of diameter small-er than the interior diameter of said shaft and being secured at its lower end in said socket, a non-circular portion at the upper end of said torsion member engaging in said hole in said plug and packing in the space between said torsion member and the interior of said shaft.

4. A golf club having a head, a socket on said head, a tubular metal shaft secured at its lower end to the upper part of said socket, a grip portion on the upper end of said shaft, a plug secured in the upper end of said shaft, a torsion member extending within said shaft for substantially the entire length thereof, said torsion member comprising a rod of diameter smaller than the interior diameter of said shaft and being secured at its lower end to the lower part of said socket and anchored at its upper end in said plug and packing in the space between said torsion member and the interior of said shaft.

5. A golf club having a head, a socket on said head, a tubular metal shaft secured at one end rigidly to said socket, a grip portion at the other end of said shaft, a torsion member disposed longitudinally within said shaft, s aid torsion member comprising a, rod of diameter smaller than the interior diameter of Said shaft vand packing in the space between said torsion member and the inner surface of said shaft, said torsion member being secured at its lower portion to said socket and secured at an upper p0rtion to said shaft.

6. A golf club having a head, a socket on said head, a tubular metal shaft secured at one end rigidly to said socket, a grip portion at the other end of said shaft, a torsion member extending within said shaft for substantially the entire length thereof, said torsion member comprising a rod of diameter smaller than the interior diameter of said shaft and being secured at its lower end in said socket and secured adjacent its upper end to said shaft and packing in the space between said torsion member and the inner surface of said shaft.

7. A golf club having a head, a socket on said head, a tubular metal shaft secured at one end rigidly to said socket, a grip portion at the other end of said shaft, a plug secured in the` upper end of said shaft, a torsion member extending within said shaft for substantially the entire length thereof, said torsion member comprising a rod of diameter smaller than the interior diameter of said shaft and beingsecured at its lower end in said socket and anchored at its upper end in said plug and packing in the Spacevbetween said torsion member and the inner surface of said shaft.

8. A Vgolf club having a head, a socket on said head, a tubular metal shaft secured at its lower end to the upper part of said socket, a grip portion on the upper yend of said shaft, a torsion member extending within said shaft for substantially the entire length thereof, said torsion member comprising a rod of diameter smaller than the interior diameter of said shaft and being secured at its lower end to the lower part of said socket and secured adjacent its upper end to said shaft and packing in the space between said torsion member and the inner Surface of said shaft.

9. A golf club having a head, a socket on said head, a tubular metal shaft secured at one end rigidly to said socket, a grip portion at the other end of said shaft, a torsion member disposed longitudinally Within said shaft, said torsion member comprising a hollovr rod of diameter smaller than the interior diameter of said shaft and granulated packing in the space between said torsion member and the inner surface of said shaft, said torsion member being secured at its lower portion to said socket and secured at an upper portion to said shaft.

10. A golf club having a head, asocket on said head, a tubular metal shaft secured at one end rigidly to said socket, a grip portion at the other end of said shaft, a torsion member extending Within said shaft for substantially the entire length thereof, said torsion member comprising a rod of diameter smaller than the interior diameter of said shaft and being secured at its lower end in said socket and. secured adjacent its upper end to said shaft, said rod having grooves extending llongitudinally therealong and packing in the space between said torsion member and the inner surface of said shaft.

FRANK MACCALLUM. 

